I consider the pictures I take as art and not necessarily just photographs. Of course I have the normal family reunion, birthday party and graduation posed shots, but I always try to capture photos that no one else would think to take. This may be of an unexpected subject or simply the unusual angle of a shot.

The technique I use the most is getting close.  With my favorite 200mm lens I am no longer obviously intrusive to my subjects. I can capture the look that I want without them even knowing.  For indoor shots I just up my ISO and still use my 200mm.

Architecture:

My first instinct when shooting buildings was to get the entire building into the shot. Now I look for what I think is the most beautiful or interesting part of the building and shoot to highlight this element. For example, with the church I shot upwards toward the steeple. The building itself is not ugly but the photo is ordinary, but by shooting up toward the steeple the picture has much more visual interest.

Vehicles:

We are Jeep fanatics at my house. Early on I realized that we were going to have too many shots of the same thing, just in different places. I decided to spice things up with different angles. My favorite shots are the unexpected ones. This one was taken while the Jeep was parked on a cliff and I climbed down underneath it. I think it’s interesting for two reasons. First, the shot shows other visual elements that are not the primary subject matter, i.e. fall leaves, evergreens and rock formation.  By framing the shot the way I did these don’t overpower the primary subject, but enhanced the photo. Second, the angle is cool. I couldn’t get the same effect if the Jeep was sitting in a parking lot.

Sports:

With two teenage boys who play a lot of sports, I have hundreds of ballgame shots. I have taken the same attitude with sports shots that I have with vehicles. I look for something different. I don’t want the standard basketball dribbling shot. I want a shot that expresses the attitude of the kids and how the game is affecting them. These two shots were taken at the same game. The first is just a picture of the team on the bench. The second shots is also of the team on the bench but is so much better because it is up close and personal and it also captures the seriousness of the kids’ and coaches’ face.

Flowers:

I have no green thumb, but occasionally I will grow something extraordinary. This year my flowerbed did exceptionally well. When my flowers were in full bloom I wanted to capture them for posterity and proof that I could actually grow something.  The first shot is blah because it is not close enough to really show any detail. The color is good, but the shot is just boring. The second shot is better because it shows the detail of the flower and butterfly and also because the background is perfectly blurred.